Clothes drier



May 17, 1938. T. PRINCIPESSA CLOTHES DRIER Filed March 22, 1937 0 Rio Prz'ncipessa Patented May 17, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE Claims.

though its use is not limited to use in such machines.

Primarily the present invention has for its object to provide an improved rod-carrying head by the use of which the rods on which the garments are hung for drying can be folded down when not in use or be held horizontally extended in their operative position without the use of clamps or other positive fastenings.

Further, the invention has for an object to provide a rod-carrying head so constructed that by swinging the rods upwardly on the ends thereof, which engage the head, as a pivot and then pushing them radially inwardly they will, through action of the weight of the outer portion of the rods and the clothes thereon, be caused to become looked, as it were, against being pulled out and folded or dropped down vertically.

Other objects will in part be obvious and in part be pointed out hereinafter.

To the attainment of the aforesaid objects and ends, the invention still further resides in the novel details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all of which will be first fully described in the following detailed descripl tion,.and then be particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a face view of the bottom face of the top section of the head.

i Fig. 2 is a face View of the top face of the bottom section. of the head.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged. detail vertical section of a portion of the head, and showing one rod in its horizontal operative position in full lines and in its folded down position in dotted lines.

' Fig. 4 is a detail edge view of a portion of the head.

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are detail sections on the lines 5-5, 6--6, and 'I-I, respectively, of Fig. 3.

Fig. 8 is an elevation of the invention as applied to a drying machine of the type above stated.

In the drawing, in which like numbers of reference indicate like parts in all the figures, I represents the top section or disc and II the lower section or disc of the rod-carrying head.

The upper disc I has a central dome 2 which may be recessed or drilled at 5 to form a convenient seat for a bearing ball similar to the ball 3 in Patent No. 1,866,987. aforesaid, if de sired.

The under face of the top disc has an annular groove 6' adjacent a ring 3. The disc I also has aperipheral flange 1 vertically slotted at equal intervals as at 8,. the slots being of a width to pass the rods 20 but not their ball ends 2|. Radially disposed grooves 9 are provided in the under face of the disc I and similar radial grooves I4 are provided in the top face of the lower disc II. A groove 9 and a groove I l together form an approximately cylindrical passage-way for the ball 2| on the end of a rod 20. Each groove 9 is deeper at its outer end than at its inner end, while each groove M is deeper at its inner end than at its outer end; thus the passages 9I4 will incline downwardly from their outer ends to their inner ends.

It will be further noticed that the lower disc I I has an annular groove I3 opposite the groove 6 in the upper disc I to receive the ball 2|. Further, the inner ends of the grooves 9 do not go as deep as thegrooves I4, but leave a shoulder II] which fits behind the ball 21 when it is in the groove 6, to hold the ball and prevent the rod 20 from being accidentally pulled out and dropped down. On the other hand the grooves M1 at their inner ends are as deep as the groove I 3, and offer no obstruction to the free movement of the ball 2| when it rests on the bottom of the groove I3, as will later more fully appear.

The disc I has a center annular ring 4 which engages a similar ring I6 of the disc II, the latter having a hub I6 to fit on the pole 22 of the hot-air-blowing unit 23, the perforated cover 24 of which. forms a guard for the motor, fan and heaters (not shown) used to generate and blow hot air upwardly toward the clothes.

The upper and lower discs I and II may be secured together by screws II threaded into holes I9 in the lower disc I I and passing through hole [8' in the upper disc I.

The lower disc II has a ring I5 to register with the ring 3 of the upper disc I when the parts are assembled.

Operation Assume the rods are in the down or folded position (Fig. 8) and it is desired to extend them for the purpose of hanging clothes thereon.

The rods are swung up in the direction of the arrows in Fig. 8 and pushed in toward the center of the head. As soon as they shall have been pushed in until the balls 2| pass the shoulders ID the leverage of the rods will raise the balls 2| into groove 6 where they will be locked by the shoulders It], the points of fulcrum being at the places where the grooves I4 reach the vertical edge slots I2, in the periphery of the disc H. The slots l2 register with the slots 8. Since the diameter of a ball 2| is greater than the width of the slots 8 or l2 the rods 20 can not be removed from or drop out of the head |l I.

This rod and head unit, while especially designed for the drier of Patent No. 1,866,987 aforesaid, may be used on stationary pole supports 22, or on any other suitably placed pole and be either stationary or rotatable as desired.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it is thought that the construction, operation and advantages of the invention will be clear to those skilled in the art.

What I claim is:

1. In a drier, a head having a hub for mounting the head on a pole, said head comprising an upper disc and a lower disc, means securing said discs together, said upper disc having a peripheral flange and having vertical slots registering with vertical slots in the periphery of said lower disc, and rods passed through said slots and having balls on the ends of the same to prevent the rods from being pulled out through said slots, said discs having radially disposed passages, one for each rods ball, inclined downwardly and inwardly from the peripheral slots of said flange, the discs each having an annular groove with which the inner ends of said passages merge, the annular groove in the upper disc forming shoulders at the inner ends of said passages to hold the rods against accidental displacement when the drier is in use.

2. In a drier, a head having a hub for mounting the head on a pole, said head comprising an upper disc and a lower disc, means securing said discs together, said upper disc having a peripheral flange overlying the periphery of said lower disc and having vertical slots registering with vertical slots in the periphery of said lower disc, and rods passed through said slots and having balls on the ends of the same to prevent the rods from being pulled out through said slots, said discs having radially disposed passages, one for each rods ball, inclined downwardly and inwardly from the peripheral slots of said flange, the discs each having an annular groove with which the inner ends of said passages merge, the annular groove in the upper disc forming shoulders at the inner ends of said passages to hold the rods against accidental displacement when the drier is in use.

3. In a drier, a head having radially disposed passages, rods each having an enlargement at one end for movement along said passages, said head having vertical and horizontal peripherally disposed slots to pass said rods but not their enlargements, said peripheral slots opening downwardly, whereby when said enlargements lie adjacent said slots said rods may be swung from a vertical position upwardly and outwardly to a horizontal position and vice versa, and means at the inner ends of said passages forcooperating withsaid enlargements to hold said rods in horizontal position against accidental displacement when said enlargements are pushed into the inner ends of said passages, said enlargements serving to sustain said rods on said head when said rods are in their vertical position.

4. In a drier, a head having radially disposed passages, rods each having an enlargement at one end for movement along said passages, said head having vertical and horizontal peripherally disposed slots to pass said rods but not their enlargements, said peripheral slots opening downwardly, whereby when said enlargements lie adjacent said slots said rods may be swung from a vertical position upwardly and downwardly to a horizontal position and vice versa, and means at the inner ends of said passages for cooperating with said enlargements to hold said rods in horizontal position against accidental displacement when said enlargements are pushed into the inner ends of said passages, said enlargements comprising balls, and said means comprising an annular groove at the inner ends of said passages forming therewith shoulders to engage the balls as abutments, said enlargements serving to sustain said rods on said head when said rods are in their vertical position.

5. In a drier,'a head composed of an upper and a lower disc, means to hold said discs together face to face, the upper disc having a flange to overlie the periphery of the lower disc, the flange having a set of vertical slots and the lower disc having a similar set of vertical slots in its periphery registering with those of said flange, the under face of said upper disc having a set of radially disposed grooves running inwardly from said flanges slots and having an annular groove at the inner ends of said radially disposed grooves, said annular groove being of greater depth than said radial grooves at their inner ends so as to provide shoulders at the inner ends of said radial grooves, said lower disc having in its upper face a set of radially disposed grooves running inwardly from said flange and cooperating with the radially disposed grooves of said upper disc to form passages, said lower disc having an annular groove at the inner ends of the radially disposed grooves of the lower disc and cooperating with the annular groove of said upper disc, and a set of rods passed through said slots into said passages and having enlargements at their ends within the passages, said shoulders being adapted to be engaged by said enlargements when the rods are pushed in and hold the rods against being accidentally pulled out when in use.

TITO PRINCIPESSA. 

